Alec Guinness, in his published diary "My Name Escapes Me" writes in his March 29, 1996 entry: "Three years ago I was offered $10,000 — call itŁ7000— to be in New York for a month, at my own expense, to play a part (admittedly small) in the film 'The Age of Innocence.' I declined."

Alec Guinness initially turned down the great role in the David Lean-directed masterpiece.

Alec Guinness, in his published diary "My Name Escapes Me" writes in his March 1, 1996 entry: "A query from my agent this morning wanting to know if I would be interested in playing Firs in a film of "The Cherry Orchard".... So now I await a script and must decide what I feel about it, speculating whether at eighty-two I'd be capable of acting an eighty-year-old. Actors past fifty are unlikely to have the energy to play King Lear in his dotage satisfactorily."

Originally considered for the lead role.

Guinness was the studio's original choice to play Cardinal Wolsey.

Offered the plum role of "Poirot," but was unavailable.